


Bed Rest

by PaxieAmor



Series: Paxie's Tony/Steve Fluff-o-rama [4]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M, Sherlock Holmes - Freeform, Steve Rogers Likes to Read, Tony Gets Bored Easily, VWORP VWORP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-12
Updated: 2012-02-12
Packaged: 2017-10-30 23:54:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/337612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaxieAmor/pseuds/PaxieAmor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Direct sequel to "Tick, Tock": Tony is put on bed rest; Steve is put on Tony-sitting duty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bed Rest

Early on in their relationship, Steve Rogers realized that Tony Stark + Boredom = Catastrophe of Epic Proportions. Following his kidnapping, savage beating and near death by explosion, he was ordered to take a vacation. Due to his being used as a human punching bag, part of that vacation was to be bed rest.

“At least two days,” the doctor had said. “He can get up to use the restroom, but that’s it.” Tony had said that this doctor didn’t have a TARDIS and therefore couldn’t be trusted. The doctor said he’d normally take offense to that, but since Tony shouldn’t even have been awake, let alone cracking jokes, he would let it slide. At this point, Tony shouted that he was absolutely serious and Steve had to shove him into a wheelchair and push him out.

Pepper had said she wasn’t going to stay home with Tony while he was on bed rest. She used stronger language, of course, but that was basically it. Of course, no one else was going to stay with him either. No one, that is, but Steve. He knew that if he was lucky, Tony would finally pass out and Steve would be able to catch up on some reading—Agatha Christie had written a number of Hercule Poirot books since he had gone missing and he was determined to read all of them. Steve didn’t hold much faith in luck, so he was pretty sure he would be listening to Tony complain he was bored for two days straight.

Thankfully, the first day was spent in silence; the doctor had been kind enough to give Tony plenty of drugs that kept him unconscious for most of the day, which Steve used to get started on “The Hollow”. By the next morning, he was finishing “Taken at the Flood”. By the next day, he was losing his mind.

“Steve, I’m bored,” Tony said flatly. Breakfast had been finished and he was sitting in his bed with a cup of black coffee, staring at reruns of M*A*S*H. “Can’t I go work in my lab?”

“No,” Steve replied, turning the page in his book. He had moved onto Sherlock Holmes by now; he had read them all as a child, of course, but it had been over 70 years since then.

“I feel fine, Steve.”

“I know, Tony. You’re still staying in bed.” There was silence for a moment.

“What’re you reading?” There was genuine curiosity in his voice, Steve noticed. He wasn’t asking to be a pain, he honestly wanted to know.

“ _The Hound of the Baskervilles_ ,” Steve replied. “Sherlock Holmes novel.”

“Oh.” More silence. “Is it any good?” Steve looked at him, surprised.

“You’ve never read it?”

“Nope.”

“Have you read any Sherlock Holmes?”

“There’s more than the one you’re reading?” Steve blinked a few times. “What?” Steve shook his head. He then reached into a bag he had with him and pulled out another book.

“Here,” he said, handing the book to Tony. “Start there.” Tony raised an eyebrow and looked at the cover.

“ _A Study in Scarlet_?” he asked. “Sounds like a cheesy romance novel.” Steve, without looking up from his page, rolled his eyes at Tony.

“Just read the damn book.”

***

A couple hours later, Pepper got a text message from Tony:

_Please pick up a complete set of Sherlock Holmes books. Preferably the ones with art by Sydney Paget, Steve says his illustrations are the best._

Pepper decided she wasn’t going to ask.


End file.
